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In 90 secs: What's driving the day

Also in a first, a majority of Americans had an unfavorable view of the tea party, at 51 percent.

Similar numbers of respondents described themselves as proponents or opponents of the tea party: Twenty-two percent identified themselves as tea party supporters, while 24 percent said they were opposed to the movement.

Still, the tea party has a favorable rating among Republicans, 58 percent of whom view it favorably compared with 28 percent who view it unfavorably.

Independents see the tea party unfavorably, 48 percent to 29 percent.

The role of the tea party in the Republican Party continues to be a focus in Washington, where just this week longtime Texas Sen. John Cornyn got a surprise primary challenge in the form of tea party favorite Texas Rep. Steve Stockman. The move is just the latest in a string of challenges to established Republicans.

Gallup surveyed 1,031 adults from Dec. 5 to Dec. 8 for the poll, which has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.